1. Sociological Perspectives
1.1. 3 Effects of Schooling on Individuals
1.1.1. Ron Edwards one of the first researchers to find a correlation between
1.1.2. More likely to read newspapers, magazines, books
1.1.3. More likely to read books
1.1.4. Greater knowledge and social particiaption
1.1.5. More involved in politics and public affairs
1.2. Interactional Theory
1.2.1. Primarily critiques and extensions of the functional and conflict persepectives
1.2.2. Basil Bernstein-theorist
2. History of U.S Education
2.1. Reform Movement
2.1.1. Free public education led by Horace Mann pg.68
2.1.2. Emma Hart Willard opened Troy Female Seminary pg.68
2.1.3. Mary Lyon was a pioneer in post secondary education for women; founded Mount Holyoke Seminary in 1837
2.1.4. Morill Act: authorized use of public money to establish public land grant universities
2.2. Democratic-Liberal School
2.2.1. Involves progressive evolution of a school system committed to providing equality of opportunity for all
2.2.2. Ellwood Cubberly
2.2.3. Merle Curti
2.2.4. Lawrence A. Cremlin
3. Politics of Education
3.1. Conservative Perspective
3.1.1. Believe that schools socialize children into adult roles necessary for the maintenance of social order.
3.1.2. Schools should ensure all students have the opportunity to compete individually in the educational marketplace.
3.1.3. Created by William Graham Sumner
3.1.4. Originated in 19th century
3.2. Progressivism
3.2.1. View schools as vehicle for upward mobility
3.2.2. Believe schools should be part of the steady progress to make things better
3.2.3. Essential to the development of individual potential.
4. Philosophy of Education
4.1. Generic notions
4.1.1. Plato's method was to engage another individual in a dialogue and, through it, question the individuals point of view
4.1.2. Plato thought that education was very important in moving individuals collectively toward achieving the "good"
4.1.3. Plato believed that the state should play an active role in education and should encourage the brighter students to follow a more abstract idea filled curriculum
4.1.4. Plato's "tracking sytem"
4.1.4.1. Gender free
4.1.4.2. Proposed students who functioned on a more concrete level should assume roles necessary for maintaining the city-state (craftsmen,warriors,farmers)
4.1.4.3. Those who functioned more abstractly should rule
4.2. Key Researchers
4.2.1. Plato
4.2.2. St. Augustine added religion to classical idealism
4.2.3. Rene' Descartes
4.2.4. Immanuel Kant
4.2.5. George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
4.3. Goal of Education
4.3.1. Interested in search for the truth through ideas rather than through examination of the false shadowy world of matter
4.3.2. Encourages to search for truth
4.3.3. Responsibility of those who achieve realization of truth to enlighten others
4.3.4. Eduation is transformational
4.3.4.1. Ideas can change lives
4.4. Role of Teacher
4.4.1. Analyzes and discusses ideas with students
4.4.2. Plays active role in discussion, asking questions
4.4.3. Supports moral education
4.5. Method of Instruction
4.5.1. Teachers take an active part in their students learning
4.5.2. Through questioning students are encouraged to discuss, analyze, and apply what they have read to contemporary society
4.5.3. Encouraged to work in groups or individually on research projects, both oral and written
4.6. Curriculum
4.6.1. great emphasis on the study of classics
4.6.2. look to the past for a better understanding of how to deal with todays problems we are faced with
4.6.3. "Great Books"
4.6.3.1. Saint Johns University in Maryland
4.6.3.1.1. Students during their four years there read,analyze, and apply the ideas of classical works to modern life
4.6.4. Mortimer Adler's "Paideia Proposal" (1982)
4.6.4.1. Interesting proposal that hasn't taken root
4.6.4.2. Advocates great literature for children of all abilities
4.6.4.3. Proposed elementary age children read great literature containing issues of relevance to all
4.6.4.4. emphasized both content and process through the actual readings
4.6.5. Back-to Basics approach
4.6.5.1. Emphasizes the "Three R's"
4.6.5.2. Popular among educational conservatives
5. Schools as Organizations
5.1. Major Stakeholders
5.1.1. State Senators: Jeff Session and Richard Shelby
5.1.2. House of Representatives: Victor Gaston and Mike Hubbard
5.1.3. State Superintendent: Tommy Bice
5.1.4. Representative on State School Board: Stephanie Bell
5.1.5. Local Superintendent: Jason Adkins
5.1.6. Local School Board
5.1.6.1. Jamie Rigsby
5.1.6.2. Brad Ingle
5.1.6.3. Dale Reeves
5.1.6.4. Bill Edd Gilbert
5.1.6.5. Sonia Waid
5.2. Comparison of Finland's Education System pg. 229
5.2.1. Finland's education system has undertaken a major overhaul during the past 40 years
5.2.1.1. Placed more focus on equal access to the curriculum, wrap-around services for students, and teacher education
5.2.1.2. Eliminated all forms of tracking and instead placed their focus on ensuring that all students attain a high level of academic success
5.2.1.3. Abolished almost all forms of standardized test, focusing more on formative evaluation
5.2.2. High levels of student achievement
5.2.3. Highest scores on math, science, and literacy exams
5.2.4. Little variation in student outcomes on the exams across all populations of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in Finland
5.2.5. Very remarkable way of recruiting, educating, retaining, and respecting the teaching profession
5.2.5.1. Only 15% of those who apply for teaching programs are accepted
5.2.5.2. Very well respected teacher programs
5.2.5.3. Accepted in to the program? Receive a stipend and free tuition as you complete a 3 year graduate program
5.2.5.4. Finnish teachers receive competitive wages, are treated with a high amount of respect and professionalism and maintain a large amount of autonomy over their teaching practices.
5.2.5.5. Teachers have small classes and are allowed time to collaborate with co-workers, develop curriculum, and review their students work. Because of this they're able to meet specific needs of students and develop new teaching ideas
5.2.5.6. Teachers have a high degree of work satisfaction
6. Curriculum and Pedagogy
6.1. Sociological Curriculum
6.1.1. Functionalists Theory
6.1.1.1. Schools transmit the cultural heritage required for a cohesive social system
6.1.1.2. Give students the knowledge, language, and values needed to ensure social stability
6.1.1.3. General theory was derived from the work of Emile Durkheim
6.1.1.4. Specific content such as history, literature, not quite as important as than teaching students how to learn
6.1.1.5. Schools teach students the values that are essential to a modern society such as how to respect others, respect differences, base opinions on knowledge rather than tradition
6.2. Historical Curriculum
6.2.1. Developmentalist Theory
6.2.1.1. Related to the needs and interest of the student rather than to needs of society
6.2.1.2. stressed the importance of relating schooling to the life experiences of each child in ways that make education come alive in a meaningful manner
6.2.1.3. Teacher is more of a facilitator of student growth than a transmitter
7. Equality of Opportunity
7.1. Educational Achievement & Attainment of Women
7.1.1. Today women are less likely to drop out of school
7.1.2. More likely to have a higher level of reading and writing proficiency than males
7.1.3. More women are now attending post-secondary instituitions than men
7.1.4. Recent data indicates that girls have caught up to boys in almost all measures of academic achievement
7.2. Coleman Study
7.2.1. Geoffrey Borman and Maritza Dowling
7.2.2. "Where an individual goes to school is often related to her race and socioeconomic background, but the racial and socioeconomic composition of a school has a greater effect on student achievement than an individuals race and class"
7.2.3. Borman and Dowling argued that school segregation based on race and socioeconomic status and within school interactions dominated by middle class values are largely responsible for gaps in student achievement
8. Educational Inequality
8.1. Sociological Explanation
8.1.1. Functionalist theory
8.1.1.1. Vision of a just society is one where individual talent and hard work based on universal principles of evaluation are more important than ascriptive characteristics based on particularistic methods of evaluation
8.1.1.2. Expect that the schooling process will produce unequal results but that these results ought to be based on individual differences between students, not on group differences
8.1.1.3. Believe that unequal educational outcomes are the result, in part, of unequal educational opportunities
8.2. School-Centered Explanation
8.2.1. Johnathon Kozol
8.2.1.1. "Savage Inequaliites"
8.2.1.2. Documented the vast differences in funding between affluent and poor districts and called for equalization in school financing
8.2.2. Suggests more affluent communities are able to provide more per-pupil spending than poorer districts, often at a proportionately less burdensome rate than in poorer communities
9. Educational Reform
9.1. School-To-Work Program
9.1.1. In the 1990's school-business partnerships became incorporated into school-to-work programs
9.1.2. School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994
9.1.2.1. Provided seed money to states and local partnerships of business, labor, government, education, and community organizations to develop school-to-work systems
9.1.3. Every state and locally created school-to-work system had to contain 3 core elements
9.1.3.1. 1. school-based learning
9.1.3.2. 2. work-based learning
9.1.3.3. 3. connecting activities
9.2. Full Service and Community Schools
9.2.1. Focus on meeting students and their families educational, physical, psychological, and social needs in a coordinated and collaborative fashion between school and community services
9.2.2. School service as community centers within neighborhoods that are open extended hours to provide a multitude of services such as adult education, health clinics, recreation facilities, after school programs, mental health services, drug and alcohol programs, job placement and training programs and tutoring services
9.2.3. Specifically designed to target and improve at-risk neighborhoods